It is well known to those skilled in the art that caulking is necessary to seal gaps which exist between adjacent structural members in a wide variety of applications. Typical of such applications are the corner defined between adjacent edges of drywall panels where it is necessary to seal the gap between said edges to provide an attractive surface which will receive paint or other wall coating subsequently deposited thereupon. In addition, caulking is widely utilized in various types of fenestration such as curtain wall and window wall where the caulking is deposited between adjacent structural members to insure the weather-proofing of gaps which exist therebetween.
Caulking guns are the conventional expedient utilized to apply caulking and are designed to receive tubes of caulking which have elongated applicator nozzles associated therewith. Such caulking guns include a semi-circular receptacle having spaced end plates which define a receptacle space equivalent to the length and diameter of the tubular caulking receptacle. The rear end plate of such caulking guns includes a plunger which is adapted to displace a rear end cap on the tube and force the caulking through the applicator nozzle.
The forward end plate of the caulking gun is provided with an aperture which permits the applicator nozzle to protrude from the forward extremity of the caulking gun. A trigger-like actuator is associated with the plunger and is manipulated by the mechanic applying the caulking to cause the caulking to be expressed from the end of the applicator nozzle.
In applying the caulking, the applicator nozzle is placed adjacent the gap to be sealed and the nozzle is drawn over the gap from the top to the bottom thereof or from one side to the other thereof, the mechanic attempting to expel caulking through the nozzle at a rate commensurate with the speed of movement of the caulking gun along the gap.
However, caulking, as it is applied, has a tendency to assume an uneven configuration which has a rippling or puddling aspect.
The caulking must be smooth to eliminate the unevenness thereof and the prevalent method of eliminating the unevenness of the caulking is for the mechanic to run his finger over the surface of the caulking to achieve the desired smoothing thereof.
Frequently, mechanics utilize quick-setting glue on their fingers to provide a surface which will assist in smoothing the caulking.
A caulking finisher is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,079 and has a forward extremity which is pushed against the surface of the caulking to smooth the same. However, the utilization thereof requires the mechanic to return to the caulking site after the application process has been completed and to smooth the caulking in a subsequent operation.